New Books about the Art of Animation

The Library has recently taken delivery of a number of books which looks specifically at the Artwork of Animated films, these have been complimented with a number of DVD's including Frozen, MONSTERS,INC and Brave.

Books include 3 volumes from the Walt Disney Animation Studios : The Archive Series, with each Volume focusing on Story, Animation and Design

Story/ Walt Disney Animation Studios.  791.4334 DISWith an introduction by John Lasseter-and very little else in the way of words-this first book in "The Artist Series" lavishly showcases the most brilliant story artwork created by such luminaries as Bill Peet, Don DaGradi, Joe Rinaldi, Roy Williams, Ub Iwerks, Burny Mattison, and Vance Gerry for such films as "Steamboat Willie" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to "Alice in Wonderland" and "101 Dalmatians." The art will be displayed in its full glory with all the notes, flaws, and hole punches that were so much a part of the story development process. Featuring the best examples-many never published before-as well as some pieces by unidentified artists-"Story" will be the must-have art book for collectors, artists, and Disney fans. Animation/ Walt Disney Animation Studios. 791.4334 DISWith an introduction by John Lasseter--and very little else in the way of words--this second book in The Artist Series lavishly showcases the most brilliant animation created by such luminaries as Ub Iwerks, Norm Ferguson, Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske, Dick Huemer, Grim Natwick, Art Babbitt, Fred Moore, Bill Tytla, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Marc Davis, John Lounsbery, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, Les Clark, Wolfgang Reitherman, John Sibley, Bill Justice, Clyde Geronimi, Ted Berman, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg, Mark Henn and Tony Bancroft. The artwork--much of which has never before been published--offers the opportunity to marvel at the those magical lines of pencil that brought life to so many unforgettable Disney characters. Animation represents a rare opportunity to enjoy a glimpse into the truly spectacular trove of treasures from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library. Design/ Walt Disney Animation Studios. 791.4334 DIS Whether it consists of quick sketches on a paper napkin, elaborate paintings in oil or watercolous or dazzling computer renderings, the unparalleled creative process of Disney artists is here collected and showcased. Among the incredible talents featured are Albert Hurter, Disney legend Joe Grant, Gustaf Tenggren and many more. Third in The Walt Disney Animation Studios - The Archive Series, this volume focused on design gives readers a rare opportunity to glimpse some of the most spectacular treasured from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library. The library has also invested in the following "Art of" Pixar Films to compliment it's collections The art of the Incredibles / Mark Vaz.From the Academy Award-winning studio that brought us Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and the blockbuster Finding Nemo, comes The Incredibles, a hilarious and action-packed story of a family of superheroes banished to a boring suburban existence. Until...Mr. Incredible gets duped into an evil scheme and his family charges in to the rescue. The film is wonderfully graphic, bringing an early-'60s retro look to the superhero genre. The Art of the Incredibles once again pulls together the fabulous and otherwise never-seen movie concept art with quotes from the creative team of artists, designers, and directors. With an 8-page gatefold and fabulous colour art, it is a visually stunning book that will appeal to the adult animation audience. The art of Brave / by Jenny Lerew  791.4334 DIS Brave is Pixar's first fairy tale, a lush, animated adventure through the forests, heaths, and highlands of medieval Scotland. Featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the film's many artists, The Art of Brave also showcases the gorgeous concept art that went into the creation of the movie, including colour scripts, storyboards, character studies, environment art, sculpts, and more. The art of W.A.L.L.-E / Tim Hauser. 791.4334 DISPixar Animation Studios, the innovators behind "Toy Story", "The Incredibles", and "Ratatouille", has again reinvented the genre with "Wall.E". When a robot searching for a connection finds EVE, a sleek female probe-droid from outer space, he embarks on an adventure-filled journey across the galaxy. Inspired by classic films, and a brave venture in its own right, Wall.E is set to awe audiences in July 2008. The "Art of Wall.E" includes more than 250 imaginative pieces of concept art, including storyboards, full-colour pastels, digital and pencil sketches, character studies, colour scripts, and more. The astute text - featuring quotes from the director, artists, animators, and production team - unearths the film makers' historical inspirations and reveals a studio confidently pushing the limits of animation. The art of Frozen / by Charles Solomon 791.4334 DIS"Features concept art from the making of the [Disney] film, including character studies and sculpts, color scripts, storyboards, and more, alongside interviews with the film's artists about the making of this comedy-adventure" In addition the Library has also purchased a book which looks at the work of the Dreamworks Company. The art of DreamWorks animation / by Ramin Zahed 791.4334 ZAH "Founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, DreamWorks Animation instantly became a world-renowned animation studio with blockbuster franchises including Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda. Though its earliest films, such as The Prince of Egypt, feature traditional hand-drawn cel animation, DreamWorks soon forayed into claymation with Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit, and pioneered advanced computer animation with films such as Antz, Shark Tale, and How to Train Your Dragon. Brimming with concept art, preproduction designs, and character sketches, DreamWorks Animation marks the studio's 20th anniversary and offers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access into its archives. An introduction by DreamWorks co-founder Katzenberg provides insider perspective on the studio's most popular films, as does running commentary from artists and directors on all of DreamWorks' 30 films to date."

Books on Display - Art in Conflict

After celebrating the arrival of the latest Star Wars Movie with a selection of Star Wars related books, Games & DVD’s, this month’s display takes a serious turn and focuses on Art in Conflict. 

This is a small but select grouping of titles which takes Syria as a starting point and from there into a broader context of Middle East. 

The book on display are:

Syria: Refugees and Rebels/ Russell Chapman.

Image politics in the Middle East : the role of the visual in political struggle 

The arts and crafts of Syria : collection Antoine Touma and Linden-Museum Stuttgart 

Against the wall the art of resistance in Palestine / by William Parry

Walls of freedom = Judrān al-ḥurrīyah : street art of the Egyptian revolution /by Basma Hamdy & Don Karl

If you would like to reserve a copy of any of the above books, please ask at the Library Counter.

  

Crowd Funding for Artists

crowdfunding

noun

1.    the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.

"musicians, filmmakers, and artists have successfully raised funds and fostered awareness through crowdfunding"

The Library recently purchased a copy of Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell.

“The highly anticipated photo book of the award-winning 'Wonderland' series, by British fine art photographer Kirsty Mitchell.”

In addition to being a beautiful book which crosses over a number of disciplines; Photography, Fashion, Illustration & Costume Design to name but four; the whole concept of the book and it’s production is interesting, because it was crowdfunded by Kickstarter. (The Wonderland Book is currently the No.1 most funded Photobook on Kickstarter.)

This led me to wonder about the whole Crowd Funding Phenomenon and if it was something which art practitioners would find useful to learn about and I found details of a free online course, which I thought would be of interest.  

“Crowdfundingfor Artists” is running a live online training which you can join for free from the comfort of your own computer.

 The Course is called : Get The Money You Need To Create Art Work With Tal Jakubowiczova, the Crowdfunding Artist

The training will cover:

§  What other two major things you can get from crowdfunding apart from money.

§  Why crowdfunding is one of the best things (if not THE best) you can do in your art career at the moment

§  6 mistakes artists make in their crowdfunding videos (and how to avoid them)

§  The main reason that people will give you money for your project

§  Questions & Answers

You can find further details HERE

For more information about the Wonderland Book, including more stunning images, Kirsty Mitchell's Website is HERE


Images taken from the Library's copy of Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell

Behind the Library Counter

Current Library Projects just to make life a little easier for you to find what you are looking for. 

 Current Dissertations held by the Library

Examples of previous years’ 1^st Class Dissertations are available in the Library, both in hard copy format and on-line. The Printed copies are kept at the back of the Library.

Please ask at the Library Counter if you need help locating the on-line copies, which is currently displayed as a drop down List on the Library Home Page under The Collections tab, or can be found HERE

Emily is currently working on updating this list, which will make it easier to locate the Dissertation you are looking for. We are also adding to the current collection of dissertations, by adding more recent years to the set. As soon as The Dissertation Collection goes live, we will let you know.

  

Reading Lists

In addition to the work taking place on improving the Dissertation list , work has been undertaken to improve the way to find the Key Texts as cited on your course's Reading List.

To make finding key texts for your course easier, the library is in the process of creating a new web page, at the moment Donna has completed CommercialPhotography and Animation. Each page contains a image of the book cover (so you know what you are looking for) and also each book is linked to the Library's catalogue record. This will tell you if the book is available to borrow. If it is out on loan you will then be able to place a reservation for the book, so that when the book is returned it will be placed on the Hold shelf for you to collect. A e-mail will let you know that it's ready for collection. If you need help, please do ask at the Library Counter.

In addition, the On-line reading list also provides the Harvard reference for the book in the college's style. We aim to complete the rest of the course asap.

Journals

A complete listing of the Library’s Journal holdings is given here and arranged in alphabetical order by title.  As well as showing what the Library holdings are of the physical copies, links to the Journal’s website are also given. A link is also given if the Journal is available on-line (Abstract/Full Text). If you need help in searching the Journal Database please ask at the Library Counter.

Inter-Library Loans

The inter-library loan service enables you to request items that are not held at Plymouth College of Art library. Before you make a request, can you check and see if the book is held within the library, or locally. The library team will do their utmost to locate the item, this will include internet searching, attempting to find the item within the region, or using the British library.

For full details of this service please visit the Library's Inter- Library Loans page.

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how we could improve the Library Service for you, please email us at: library@pca.ac.uk

That Dissertation Time of Year

 Don’t Panic - Help is at Hand

It’s a busy time in the Library with lots of last minute dissertation work taking place. If you need a quiet place to work and gather your thoughts, remember that the Quiet Study Room (0.8) is available and is located within the Library itself.

If you need advice with writing your dissertation or any other learning support, remember that the Study Zone Drop in Centre is located at the back of the Library. To book a session with Rachel, please ask in the Student Hub.

Don’t forget that Donna can provide advice on Harvard referencing queries (You can also find the on line version of the Harvard Referencing Guide on the Library Home Page). 

Hard copies of the Guide are available from the Library Counter.

If you need assistance with subject research, please ask Allie.

Dissertations

Examples of previous years’ 1^st Class Dissertations are available in the Library, both in hard copy format and on-line. The Printed copies are kept at the back of the Library. Please ask at the Library Counter if you need help locating the on-line copies, which is currently displayed as a drop down List.  

Emily is currently working on updating this list, which will make it easier to locate the Dissertation you are looking for. We are also adding to the current collection of dissertations, by adding more recent years to the set.

Binding your Work

Once you have your dissertation complete, you will need to get it bound before submitting it The shop offers a binding service which costs £3 per document. Turn-around time is normally about an hour, although this may take longer during busy times.

Before submitting your work for binding, please check that the pages are in the correct order and right way up. The Deadline for binding Dissertations is 3pm on January the 29^th. However it is advisable not to leave it until the last minute.

The Library wishes you every Success!

News from the Library

Over the Summer, the staff in the Library & Shop have been very busy making a number of improvements to the services available.

Super-fast, Super-smooth, Library laptops available to use in the Library (4 hour loans).

The Library has 20 Laptops available for use in the Library. Over the summer, these Laptops have
had their Hard Drives upgraded, making them infinitely faster. The Laptops have wireless access to the College network, and can be used for on-line searches in addition to working on documents.  Each Laptop has the normal Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe programmes loaded, as well as the Google Search Engine.  Printing can also be done from a Library Laptop. Just select the Follow Me Print option.

To borrow a Laptop (for use in the Library only) please ask at the Library Counter. You will need your Student Card. The Laptop will be issued to you for 4 hours. One word of warning though! You cannot save your work to the laptop. You will need to either save work to a memory stick or to your Google Docs folder in your Google Account. 

A selection of Memory sticks are available from the College Shop which is located just inside the Library and which sells, along with memory sticks a wide selection of Art & Craft Materials at very competitive prices.  

Printer/Scanners

There are two Printer/Scanners within the Library. The first is just outside the Mac Suite (0.9), and the second in the Mac Suite, at the back of the room.

Print Credit needs to be paid for in the shop, with the receipt then taken to the IT Help Desk, who will credit your Student card.

Printing costs

A4 (Per sheet)                                 A3 (Per sheet)

B/W 2 pence                                   B/W 4 pence

Colour 5 pence                                Colour 10 pence

Remember that you can scan documents direct to your 

GOOGLE Drive at no cost.

Library Hours

During Term Time the Library (& Mac Suite) is open from 8.30am every morning, Monday to Thursday until 8pm. On Fridays the Library (& Mac Suite) is open from 8.30am until 4.30.

From the 19^th of September the Library is open from 10am until 1pm on Saturdays.

During Holiday periods the Library operates on slightly reduced hours:  8.30 – 5 Monday to Thursday and 8.30 – 4.30 on Friday. The Library is not open on Saturday.

Library Study Areas

There are 40 Library Study spaces spread throughout the Library. In addition there is a quiet study room (0.8) within the Library, which is located next door but one to the Mac Suite, and provides a further 25 study spaces. The study room is an integral part of the Library, and can only be booked by staff for closed off access under exceptional circumstances.

In addition to the study spaces, we have 9 soft seating pods, which can be moved together for collaborative study, or placed in a cosy corner for individual contemplative reading.  There is also relaxed seating at the back of the Library for up to 6.

Library Books and Journals can also be taken into the Mac Suite, which has seating for 40, to be used in conjunction with on-line/ Mac based work.

Off Air Recording

The Library provides a service to make available off-air recordings for addition to library stock. Recordings can only be made of programmes covered either by licence or by the Copyright, Design and Patents Act.

To make a request for an off-air recording please e-mail the Library or ask at the Library Counter. Please give as much notice as possible to ensure that the recording has been registered as required. The minimum requirement is 24 hours before the programme is due to be aired.

New On the Library Webpage

The Journal Collection

There is now a new colourful page on the Library Website, which lists all the Journals which we currently subscribe to or have on-line access to. https://sites.google.com/a/pca.ac.uk/elibrary/special-collections/journals

To locate this listing from the Library Home Page, click on the Our Collections Tab and then the Journals option.

Better Bibliographic Records means easier searching

The Library is currently in the process of updating the bibliographic records of its resources. Where possible a summary of the item is given, which means that a better feel for how relevant the item will be for you.  The up-dating of these records, which is an on-going project, should be especially helpful when carrying out Keyword Searching.  

Get in Touch!!!

If you have any questions about the Library or Shop, please do not hesitate to contact us at library@pca.ac.uk . You can also follow our Twitter Account PCA Library and Shop @pcalibrary&shop

Fresh in from the Book Shop

Print is dead, long live print : the world's best independent magazines

Ruth Jamieson.

050 JAM  

While magazines such as Spin and The Face have disappeared from newsstands and mailboxes, there has been an explosion of independent, creatively led magazines that are currently shaping the future of print. Non-traditional periodicals with names like Boneshaker, Lucky Peach, Anorak, WRAP and Kinfolk are taking their places on shelves and coffee tables everywhere. Print is Dead. Long Live Print is an eye-opening look into the fascinating field of independent print journalism, showcasing over 50 examples of innovative magazines from around the globe. The book divides the magazines into genres, including art and culture, travel, sports and style. Each periodical is represented by selected spreads and newly commissioned photography, along with a brief introductory text. Interviews with editors, art directors and founders from each magazine offer background information as well as insight into why they decided to start their publications and the challenges they face. A directory at the back lists dozens more magazines worth investigating. This paean to the printed word is filled with creativity and innovation as well as hope for the future of print media.

 

Postdigital artisans : craftsmanship with a new aesthetic in fashion, art, design and architecture

Jonathan Openshaw.

700.105 OPE  

Digital technology now mediates much of our interaction with the world, and a vast majority of the images that we absorb daily come through a screen. The digital comes with its own aesthetic framework that cannot help but colour our experience of the world, and change our expectations of the objects that surround us. As the digital becomes ever more pervasive however, there is also a return to physical experiences that technology cannot satisfy. This is true across sectors, from immersive theatre to vinyl records, and although digital will undoubtedly dominate our future, there are pockets of resistance. This book will look at contemporary artisans who are deeply influenced by the digital world in which we live, but who reject processes such as 3D printing as a final output. Inspired by the internet and a screen-based aesthetic, they choose to craft things by hand, rendering a postdigital mindset in tactile materials, such as metal, glass and wood. It represents a return to the physical in the digital age.

 

Drawing and painting : materials and techniques for contemporary artists

Kate Wilson.

751 WIL  

Bursting with practical techniques, engaging artist profiles and inspirational galleries, Drawing & Painting combines an authoritative category killer approach with a contemporary aesthetic guaranteed to appeal to all artists. The books up-to-date approach is a far cry from the dry instructions and dated artwork that feature in more traditional art books. In contrast to other, largely project-orientated titles, Drawing & Painting places the emphasis on the techniques themselves, encompassing drawing, sketching and a range of painting styles. Covering everything from pen and ink to oils and acrylics, specially commissioned photography and artwork accompanies step-by-step techniques, while profiles of contemporary artists provide insight into various working methods, materials and techniques. Acknowledging the growing interest in digital tools as a medium, information is provided throughout the book on how effects can be created using Smart Pens, tablets and apps.

China through the looking glass

Andrew Bolton, Harold Koda, Homay King, Mei Mei Rado, Wong Kar-wai.

391.00951 BOL  

For centuries, China's export arts-jade, silks, porcelains, and, more recently, cinema-have fueled Western fantasies of an exotic East and served as enduring sources of inspiration for fashion. This stunning publication explores the influence of Chinese aesthetics on designers, including Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent. Drawing upon Chinese decorative arts, cinema, and costume-notably imperial court robes, the close-fitting cheongsam, and the unisex Mao suit-their designs are fantastical pastiches of anachronistic motifs. As in the game of "telephone," the process of cultural translation transforms the source material into ingeniously original fashions that are products solely of the designers' imaginations. In a similar way, contemporary Chinese film directors render fanciful, highly stylized evocations of various epochs in China's history-demonstrating that China's imagery is equally seductive to artists in the East and further inspiring today's designers. Juxtaposing modern fashions and film stills with their forebears in fine and decorative arts and historical dress, this book reveals the rich and ongoing creative dialogue between East and West, past and present.